LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Moving out on the 19th Airlift Wing’s multiple readiness events taking place during ROCKI 23-07, the 19th Medical Group completed their first iteration of MEDIC-X training, July 21, 2023, to better equip medical personnel with life-sustaining skills needed for a limited resourced environment.
In conjunction with Air Mobility Command’s largest full spectrum readiness exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, Exercise MOBILITY GUARDIAN 2023 (MG23), the 19th Airlift Wing is conducting a series of local readiness related events to increase proficiency in current readiness tasks while also training for the future fight.
“In response to the demand for Multi-Capable Airmen, the Air Force Medical Service developed a standardized training program, MEDIC-X, which increases the agility of our medics and enables us to better support combatant commanders in contested environments when prolonged casualty care is required,” said Maj. Daisy Rupe, 19th Medical Group education and training flight commander.
To align with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.’s operational doctrine, which requires equipping Airmen with skills that go beyond the duties of their specific duty titles, all Air Force active duty medical personnel will receive this training. This includes those who are not directly involved in patient care such as administrators and logisticians, to build Multi-Capable medical Airmen.
In the MEDIC-X training, every medical Airmen will need to be proficient in 52 skills to ensure readiness in the Air Force’s agile medical force.
“MEDIC-X’s 52 skills encompass base-level patient care that is easily teachable through hands-on, in-person training to all medical personnel,” said Rupe. “The training includes such skills as assessing pain levels, infection control, taking a patient’s vital signs, assisting with spinal immobilization, patient movement, and respiratory care.”
According to Rupe, each MEDIC-X training session focused on 13 skills, roughly 6-7 hours of training each quarter, for a total of 24-26 hours annually.
“In future near-peer conflicts, the U.S. may not always have air superiority, which may delay medical evacuation to higher levels of care,” said Rupe. “During prolonged casualty care requirements, medical needs may surpass the capacity of the providers, nurses, and medical technicians that standardly provide that care.”
MEDIC-X training enables all medical personnel to become an asset in situations by adapting in a challenging deployed environment where resources are limited to perform core clinical skills to be able to deliver the best patient care possible.